


The Adventures Of … Ren Allsbrook

by Ourbooksuniverse



Category: MAAS Sarah J. - Works, Throne of Glass Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Braids, Children, Fluff, Funny, Gen, Throne of Glass, tog - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-15
Updated: 2018-03-15
Packaged: 2019-03-31 18:06:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13980549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ourbooksuniverse/pseuds/Ourbooksuniverse
Summary: 9 year old Ren Allsbrook tries his very best to be friends with Aelin, but there are a few obstacles in his way. (re: Aedion)





	The Adventures Of … Ren Allsbrook

As Ren hurried down the halls he heard Aedion’s laughter booming through the castle, followed by the joyful laughter of Aelin. Shit, he thought, if Aedion was already with her he would never get a chance to talk to the young princess.

He rounded the corner and clenched his hands into fist when he spotted the two of them, there sitting in the middle of her playroom where Aelin and her annoying cousin Aedion, the later braiding the hair of the first.

It baffled him that Aedion was favoured to take the blood oath over him. It wasn’t that he hated the blond - well not that much anyway- it was just that he wanted to be Aelin’s blood sworn when she became queen. His father had once told him that when Aelin was born Ren was the one favoured to take the blood oath - even if he was only a 2-year-old baby at the time. But then the 5-year-old Aedion had shown up at the castle and suddenly he wasn’t the one favoured anymore. The fact that Ren wasn’t the one destined to be blood sworn anymore was a slap in his father’s face, and it was only made worse by the fact that Aelin had clung to Aedion since the first day the two of them had met.

Aedion was Aelin’s best friend and favourite toy, once he heard the rumour that there was a plan to marry them. Why someone thought that was a good idea was a big mystery to him. They looked and acted like siblings and the thought of them married to each other was as upsetting to him as the thought of him marrying one of his older sisters.

“Hello Lord Ren” Aelin said, holding what looked like a new doll in her hands.

“Your Highness” Ren said bowing to the princess. “Aedion” he went on - unable to keep the disdain out of his voice - he didn’t bothering bowing as he addressed the older boy. He knew he should address Aedion with your Highness and show him more respect - he was a prince after all - but Aedion was looking at him with that smug smile of his that usually meant trouble so Ren really didn’t feel like being respectful.  

“Ren” Aedion purred, “To what do we owe this pleasure?”

Ren chose to ignore Aedion and focussed on the girl in front of him. “Would your Highness like to go for a walk in the gardens?” He didn’t want to go walking through the gardens, but his mother and father had sent him to butter up Aelin.

Aelin looked at Aedion for a moment and then turn her gaze back to him. “Aedion isn’t done braiding my hair yet and I have to braid his hair to”

“I’m sure Aedion is almost done and -” he said, but got interrupted by Aedion.

It seemed that Aedion wasn’t in the mood to share his cousin’s attention as he grinned, “You heard the princess, she wants to braid my hair, not walk through the gardens with you.”

“Why would you want her to braid your hair anyway” he sneered, “Half the boys in this city are already half in love with you because you look like a girl.” It wasn’t a lie, he had heard the stable boys talking about how pretty and cute Aedion was, and that it was a shame that he wasn’t a girl.

“What’s wrong with looking like a girl” Aelin asked.

“Nothing your Highness” Ren said quickly.

“There is nothing wrong with looking like a girl or being a girl” Aedion agreed.

“I didn’t mean it like that” Ren tried “I just mean that Aedion spends a lot of time trying to look pretty.”

“And what’s wrong with looking pretty?” Aelin asked clearly insulted at the idea that looking pretty was something bad. It was well known that the young princess like pretty things, and that she could be fears when someone got dirt on her dresses.

Ren face was flushed, he had screwed it all up, he had meant to ask her for a walk and he ended up insulting her, twice. He saw how Aedion looked at Aelin with adoration and pride, but when he gazed at Ren there was only a  promised violence in those striking eyes. “I’m sorry your Highness, there is nothing wrong with looking like a girl or looking pretty.” Ren apologize.

“Apology accepted” Aelin said before she returned her attention on Aedion, waiting for him to continue braiding her hair. Aedion however didn’t seem to be done with him yet. “Are you one of the boys that is in love with me?” he asked.

“No of course not” he said to the prince - who clenched his chest pretending to be hurt by Ren’s words.

“And why aren’t you in love with me” Aedion asked curiously batting his lashes at him.

For an 12 year old Aedion was really good getting people to instantly like him, another thing Ren disliked about the boy. A blush bloomed on Ren’s face and he shifted on his feet, “because i’m not in love with you” he stuttered. He wasn’t in love with Aedion, he really wasn’t. Sure Aedion was pretty but he liked girls.

“Of course your not” Aedion smirked “what a shame.”

Aelin to his horror, looked amused by the little show Aedion was putting on at his expense. Before Aedion could say any more Ren spun on his heels and walked away. As he walked out of the door he heard Aelin say “You should not theas him like that.”

~

A week had passed since the incident and Ren was send to Aelin again, with the clear instructions to not screw it up again. When he returned last week his mother had been disappointed in him and his father had been angry that Ren had gotten provoked by Aedion. Luckily for him, Aedion had been send to somewhere in the mountains to train for a few days.

Which meant Aelin was left without a play friend - it wasn’t that there weren’t any other children at the castle; it was just that most children were scared of her. And since Ren wasn’t scared of Aelin - sure he wasn’t a big fan of her temper tantrums that could burned down a whole room in minutes - and he was used to playing with girls and their toys thanks to his sisters, so his parents had decided that Ren would make the perfect play friend for the princess.

Bracing himself he knocked on the door of the princesses playroom. “Come in” a voice called from inside. He opened the door and walked in. The room itself was grand and filled with all kinds of toys and games for the little princes and her friends to enjoy.

Sitting on a beautiful rug was Aelin and all around her were tiny wooden dolls.

“Your Highness” he said as he made a bow.

“Hello Ren” Aelin said.

“May I join?” he asked gesturing at the wooden toys.

“Of course” Aelin chimed “I’m playing Queen and War” she told him “you can be the enemy of the realm, who wants to invade the kingdom and I will be the queen who defence the realm”

“Okay, how do you play Queen and War? Are there any rules?” he asked as he set down opposite to her.

A wicked smile - that did not belong on the face of a 7 year old - spread across her face. “There aren’t any rules in love and war,” she said before making her first move.

An hour past and Ren was marvelling at the brilliance of the girl in front of him. It turned out the game of Queen and War was a lot like chest, only with a lot more violence and cheating and instead of only killing one piece at the time, you could kill a lot of pieces. Every time he made a move, Aelin would block it and crush a piece of his army. The game had ended when Aelin revealed her grand plan and crushed his whole army in one move. He still didn’t know how she pulled it off, but he was astonished by the way she play the game.

Ren was usually a bad loser, he hated losing games to anyone, but the way Aelin had beaten him was so spectacular that he was more impressed by her victory than disappointed over his losing.

“You play it just as good as Aedion” she smiled, obviously pleased by her victory over him.

“Aedion loses to?” he asked curiously.

“Ooh yes, he loses every time” she beamed.

He couldn’t help but smile at that, he was pretty sure that Aelin would be able to beat everyone in this game, even her uncles war counsel wouldn’t stand a chance against her. Looking around the room spotting various toy weapons, board games, dolls and even and small piano. “What would you like to do next?” he asked.

“Mmm” she hummed to herself, she gave the room a look over before those striking eyes landed on him “I want to braid your hair” she said.

He crossed his arms over his chest “No”.

“Why not?” she whined.

“Because I don’t want to have braids in my hair” he answered her.

“But you would look so pretty with braids in your hair” she tried.

“No” he said again.

“Aedion lets me braid his hair,” she complained.

Of course she would use Aedion against him to get what she wanted he thought to himself. An hour ago he would have thought her impossible of such actions, but after playing her game with her he knew better. This was just another game for her, one where she won if she got to braid his hair. He could play this game to he realized, so he asked her “What do I get in return?”

A lovely smile appeared on her lips “you get pretty braids of course” she said.

“No, that’s what you get.” he argued “You get to see me in pretty braids.”

Her lovely smile changed into a mischievous one, he had been right about this being a game her. “You will get my favour” she offered him.

“Do you even know what that means?” he smirked.

“Yes I know what it means” she scoffed.

“What about Aedion? Isn’t he the one you favour?” he said. He knew he would eventually cave to her demand to braid his hair, but that didn’t mean he would throw the game, not when he had the upper hand.

“Aedion isn’t here, he is in the mountains training,” she said to him.

“Yes” he agreed, “He is gone now, but he’ll be back in a few days. What will happen when he is back? Will I still have your favour when Aedion is back?”

Aelin looked at him in dismay, as she opened her mouth and closed it again. He sat back leaning on his arms and smiled, he had won this round. “How about I get your favour until Aedion gets back. Then when he returns I get a chance to win it fair and square.” he hummed.

Taking a moment to think it over she said, “Fine, now turn around so I can braid your hair.”

“As you wish your Highness,” he said, turning his back to her.

As Aelin parted his hair in different sections and started working on it he came to the realisation that Aedion was a bloody genius, having your hair braided felt amazing. He leaned into her touch and soon Aelin was telling him all kind of stories and gossip. When she was done she handed him a mirror so he could look at her handiwork. He had to admit it look really good.

“Now you braid my hair,” she said.

“I don’t know how to braid hair,” he confessed.

“I’ll teach you” she said, walking over to a stack of dolls and picking out two with long hair. She handed him one and started teaching him.

~

His hands were shaking and sweaty and he was getting more and more irritated every second. “You are doing it wrong” Aelin yelled “Stop pulling on her hair like that!”

“I’m not pulling at her hair” he said furiously.

“You will pull out all her hair” Aelin yell again, trying to pull the doll out of his hands.

“No, just tell me again how you do it.” he grunted wiping the sweat of his brow.

“Give her to me” she demanded.

“No” he said staring at her “Not until you tell me how to braid her hair.” He hadn’t noticed how or when the room had started to get suffocatingly hot, but as he stared in her eyes - the gold moving like a living flame - he realized that if he wasn’t more careful he would get burned.  

“Here is your doll back” he said handing over the doll whose hair was full of knots. “Let go get some water to drink” he suggested. He and Aedion had been told time and time again what to do when Aelin started to lose control over her fire. The first was to remove to thing or person who was triggering her - in this case the doll - then to offer her water, and if that failed get some adults to help.

To his relief the room became less hot and Aelin started to softly hum to herself as she poured herself a glass of water. “Why don’t we go find Marion, so she can braid your hair” he suggested. She finished her glass and nodded at him, tears shining in her eyes. She too seemed to realize how close she had come to setting something on fire. He knew Aelin didn’t like using her fire, that she was scared to hurt anyone.

Taking her hand - that was almost too warm to tough - he led her out of the room and together they walked to the rooms of the Lord and Lady of Perranth hoping to find Marion. All the while he told her comforting things, Aelin just kept humming to herself tears still in her eyes.

~

As he walked back to his rooms he kept thinking about how he should have noticed the signs of Aelin’s fire sooner, even if Cal Lochan had told him he did the right thing. If his own temper hadn’t flared, he would have been better at keeping her calm and happy. If he had just been able to braid her hair like she had asked him, this whole thing wouldn’t have happened.

He was so busy thinking about how he failed his princess that he almost didn’t notice Elide sitting in one of the windowsills overlooking the garden. “Hello Lady Elide” he said, giving the dark haired girl a nod.

Dark eyes met his for just a moment “Hello Lord Ren” she said quietly, before returning her attention on doll in her hands.

He was about to walk away when Elide spoke again. “I heard about what happened with Aelin.” Great he thought, if Elide already heard about what happened his parents must of heard to.

“You did good” she went on giving him a little nod “you managed to calm her down enough and bring her to my mother.” She sounded so much like her father as she said those comforting words to him.

He didn’t know why but he found himself saying “I should have done better, I should have noticed it sooner”.

She looked at him again, those black intelligent eyes studying him. “I don’t think anyone would have seen it coming.”

His shoulders slumped as he murmured, “Aedion would have noticed.”

“Perhaps” she said, smiling at him “but I know he wouldn’t have handled it as good as you did”

“Why do you think that?” he said quietly, curious about why this Elide thought so highly of him.

“I don’t think that” Elide said matter-of-factly “I know it.”

“You can’t know that for sure” he objected.

“The first time Aedion tried to braid Aelin’s hair she burned the couch they sat on, because he pulled on her hair to hard and it took to long.” she spoke.

“Oh” he said. For some reason he always felt calmer when he talked to Elide. Perhaps it was that she was always calm and kind to him - unlike Aedion and Aelin. Maybe it was just that the 6 year old seems to know everything, his grandfather Murtaug liked to say that Elide has a old soul and that she is probably blest by the wise goddess.  

“I could teach you how to braid hair, so the next time she asks you, you know what to do,” she stammered, a blush creeping on her cheeks.  

“That would be lovely Elide, thank you.” he said sitting down next to her.

Together they sit in peace, quietly talking as she teaches him how to braid hair. As they speak he can’t help but wondered why Elide and Aelin aren’t friends, sure Elide is shy and quiet but she was also kind and smart. He is also sure that Elide could give Aelin a run for her money in the game of Queen and War, and that they would be unstoppable if the two of them worked together.


End file.
